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Dec. 8, 2006

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Former Virginia Athletics Director Gene Corrigan and former UVa men’s basketball standout Bryant Stith are two of the seven individuals who will enter the state of Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in April.

Corrigan began his collegiate coaching career as head lacrosse and soccer coach, and assistant basketball coach at Washington & Lee University from 1955-57. He left Washington & Lee to become the head coach of lacrosse (1958-67) and soccer (1958-61), and an assistant basketball coach (1958-60) at Virginia. He also served as the sports information director at UVa (1965-67) before leaving to become assistant commissioner/service bureau director at the Atlantic Coast Conference from 1967-69. Corrigan was the athletics director at Washington & Lee (1969-70) before returning to Virginia as athletics director from 1971-80. He was the athletics director at Notre Dame from 1981-87 and then served as the third commissioner of the ACC from 1987-1997. He also served as president of the NCAA from 1995-97. He retired to Charlottesville after finishing his career at the ACC.

Gene Corrigan

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Stith starred on Virginia men’s basketball teams from 1989-92. He finished his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,516 points and established himself as the all-time Division I scoring leader in the state of Virginia. Stith earned first-team All-ACC honors three times and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 National Invitation Tournament after leading the Cavaliers to an 81-76 overtime win against Notre Dame in the championship game. He was the ACC’s Rookie of the Year in 1989 and was the sixth Virginia men’s basketball player to have his jersey retired.

Selected in the first round of the 1992 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets (13th pick overall), Stith played a total of 10 pro seasons- eight with the Nuggets and one each with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Stith is from Lawrenceville, Va., and is now the basketball coach at Brunswick High School, where he was an all-state player.

The other five individuals selected to enter the Virginia Hall of Fame are Gary Clark (former James Madison University and Washington Redskins wide receiver), Jim “Carroll” Colston (legendary sports broadcaster in the Roanoke area), John McKenna (former VMI head football coach), Ricky Rudd (NASCAR driver) and Charlie Sumner (starred in football at William & Mary before playing and coaching in the NFL).

The 2007 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for April 28 at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center. Tickets to the event go on sale in February. The number to call for ticket information is 757/393-8031.

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